BS: Is EBay going mad?

Subject: BS: Is EBay going mad?
From: Mr Red
Date: 17 Oct 19 - 06:38 PM

A recent order placed on EBay arrived in an Amazon box complete with Amazon receipt.

Now an order placed and acknowledged is cancelled. New item, no bids accepted. The reason given is quality, which maybe they had too many returned. Or they bought a job lot at a price and I just triggered the automated responses until a human started to count the orders and I was at the end of the line.

Is this yet more generic uncertainty of the times we see mirrored in politics?

Subject: RE: BS: Is EBay going mad?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 17 Oct 19 - 07:31 PM

I've had negative experiences with eBay recently, including fake goods and non-arrivals despite payment. I don't like battles so in future my eBay transactions will be trivial things only, such as iPhone cases and stuff like that.

Subject: RE: BS: Is EBay going mad?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Oct 19 - 08:45 PM

That's a particular seller, not eBay as a whole. I'm willing to bet that the seller has found a much lower price with free shipping on Amazon and is acting as the middle man. Other things are sold on multiple venues, and if it was something he had stored at Amazon to ship from there, he did it that way instead of keeping a box of the items at home and shipping that way.

Subject: RE: BS: Is EBay going mad?
From: Mr Red
Date: 18 Oct 19 - 04:02 AM

Yes but in the event of a problem?

"Whoyagonnacall"?

Certain items, like clothes I never buy on-line, so I have somewhere to take things back when there is a problem.

There is always false advertising, and terrible English, but how do you predict non delivery? At least my cancelled order is known, rather than a mystery. I deduced speculative sales - price now higher.

I bought a watch (yea, cos it is red) and didn't see how to change the batteries. When I asked they said there were YouTube videos (unspecified). Actually there is no obvious way, the case is a single moulding and the front is stuck down. As it happened, the front was badly fixed with double-sided tape and the mechanism flew out. Days later I found it in the car, plus the buttons. So I saw how to change batteries. But after glueing, find that flexing my wrist (maybe), or dancing, triggers the change button - not that I see it happening maybe the loose mechanism is the problemo. At 5 GBP should I be concerned? Well I had a dial watch for 5/6 years that cost 3 GBP which kept better time despite harder rigours of my activities.

Call me a cheapskate - or a monocolourwrist (sic).

Subject: RE: BS: Is EBay going mad?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 18 Oct 19 - 09:44 AM

..."flexing my wrist (maybe), or dancing, triggers the change button..."

Put down the bodhran, change the watch over to your non-tipper wrist, pick up the bodhran and try again. Hope this helps.

Subject: RE: BS: Is EBay going mad?
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 18 Oct 19 - 10:39 AM

Nowt beats a basic cheap casio digital watch...

I had two of the same basic design lasting between them 30 years...
My dad by pure coincidence had exactly the same watch...

try ebay...

Subject: RE: BS: Is EBay going mad?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Oct 19 - 11:03 AM

There are things I never buy from eBay. Always look at the seller information, how long they've been in business, are they shipping from China, their feedback score. I've generally had good luck, and run across a couple of dishonest sellers (like the rug I bought that was interestingly crumpled in the photo - upon opening the box there was a large chunk torn out of it that wasn't mentioned in the ad!)

The same kinds of practices are moving over to Amazon, so if you buy there and it's a third-party seller, look at their feedback.

Subject: RE: BS: Is EBay going mad?
From: Stanron
Date: 18 Oct 19 - 11:09 AM

Back in the 70s I worked for six or so years as a scaffolder. I found that battery watches reacted badly with sweaty skin so I plumped for mechanical watches. I eventually settled on Seiko Automatics. I've had about four. One fell off in the garden, another had a smashed crystal and the replacement kept catching. I used to be able to buy them new on a market for about £40. The latest one seems to be going fine, I have a spare and have bought one or two other automatics over the years but the Seiko is the best. There are lots of really old and really worn ones on ebay but not many for £40

Subject: RE: BS: Is EBay going mad?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 18 Oct 19 - 12:23 PM

You can get a Casio unisex watch in black, with a proper face with real numbers on it, for six quid or less and the battery lasts four or five years. You can change the battery (which costs about two-thirds of the price of a new watch anyway) but every time I've done that the watch stops being moisture-resistant and it steams up inside. But I set the time, put it on and forget it for an estimated quarter of the rest of my life for next to no money. That'll do me.

Subject: RE: BS: Is EBay going mad?
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 18 Oct 19 - 12:42 PM

I stopped wearing watches in my early 20s because of rashes,
so took the strap off and kept the metal bodied casio in my pocket with keys and loose change..
They each lasted about 10 to 15 years before the screens started getting too cloudy..
I've no recollection of ever changing batteries...???

I haven't even owned a watch since my first mobile phone...


oh yeah.. ebay... I don't use it much these days,
but only got deliberately ripped off one time several years ago.
[a German guitar seller..]

I'm pretty sure every small gadget of the many I've ordered cheap from China
was delivered ok...

Subject: RE: BS: Is EBay going mad?
From: EBarnacle
Date: 18 Oct 19 - 12:50 PM

The reason they are no longer sealed is that the case seal usually does not get replaced when changing the battery. [Yes, Grasshopper, there are reasons the better places charge more.]

Subject: RE: BS: Is EBay going mad?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 18 Oct 19 - 02:11 PM

pfr, the Casio one I mentioned has an all-plastic strap. Same as you, there's no way I can put a metal strap on my wrist. I find the stainless steel backs to be OK.

Subject: RE: BS: Is EBay going mad?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Oct 19 - 08:37 PM

I have two Casio watches that were my parent's watches ages ago. The batteries are certainly dead, but the watches might work. They're men's or unisex ones.

Subject: RE: BS: Is EBay going mad?
From: EBarnacle
Date: 19 Oct 19 - 12:30 AM

If they are corroded, try contact cleaner. Nothing to lose.

Subject: RE: BS: Is EBay going mad?
From: Mr Red
Date: 20 Oct 19 - 05:20 AM

I look to the registered address because the UK gov reduced the import duty threshold from 35 GBP to 15 GBP (to pay for ............. Agh!).

But curiously the next purchase is a Chinese company (address in Kata-Kana) in Lundun (innit?). The prices from China direct are the same. We will see, but other purchases in a similar vein did not incur import duty at my end. eg

shoes from Wish.com came direct from China despite their registered address in the UK. But then the declared value was about 1/4 of my cost and under the threshold.

FWIW the GF bought me a  watch  and Timpsons replace the battery for as long as I keep the ticket for a one-off price, but it ain't .............

Years ago I tried to buy a rechargeable AA battery with built-in USB connector. I heard nothing for a week so cancelled the order. The vendor had just started his "shop" and gone on holiday for 2 weeks!

Subject: RE: BS: Is EBay going mad?
From: SPB-Cooperator
Date: 20 Oct 19 - 02:44 PM

EBay has been a bone of attention ever since my company got a threatening letter of intent to take legal action for non-payment of about £5,000 worth of game machines. A short phone call confirmed that they made no attempt whatsoever to conform it was a bonafide order, leading to them admitting that the delivery address being over 200 miles away from my company address was a trifle odd. Never heard anything else since the phone call, but on the other side, I never did get a personal apology from every shareholder apologising for the stress caused by their incompetence.

Subject: RE: BS: Is EBay going mad?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 20 Oct 19 - 03:03 PM

I don’t use Ebay much but did buy a couple of things (used 1990s Midi module and a cheap Chinese logic analyser) this year, my first purchases in a while. Both transactions were smooth and fast. The logic analyser did have some shipping from the UK.

Subject: RE: BS: Is EBay going mad?
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 21 Oct 19 - 06:15 AM

Import duty threshold is not £15 as stated above, but £135. The £15 threshold relates to VAT only (and then on purchases, the threshold for gifts is still £39). Goods liable to excise duty (tobacco/alcohol) will be liable to that duty with no threshold.
All the details are here HMRC.
Different rules apply when you are bringing goods in as a traveller

Subject: RE: BS: Is EBay going mad?
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 21 Oct 19 - 09:14 AM

The VAT threshold used to be higher..
When it was changed I had to stop buying CDs and music equipment accessories from USA ebay shops..

One penny over the threshold meant paying VAT on the item and the full shipping cost as well.
Plus shipping costs increased significantly at around the same time.

Now to see if we can still continue to buy bargains from European music shops...???

But of course, if UK shops stocked and sold the same items at less rip off prices...

Subject: RE: BS: Is EBay going mad?
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 21 Oct 19 - 09:56 AM

Pfr
You would partly be getting items cheaper from US suppliers because they were imports. You would probably be getting them cheaper because they were treated (by the sellers) as exports. Otherwise you would have paid the local sales tax.
Exports are usually zero-rated as the goods will not be used in the country of sale, but will be taxed on import to the country of the end user.
Without UK charging tax on imports it becomes cheaper to buy from abroad, allowing foreign sellers to undercut UK traders.
Similarly UK suppliers selling goods to USA do not charge VAT on the sales.
Without some form of import tax high value goods would be purchased by UK customers from the US, and by US customers from the UK. Both customers could get the goods cheaper than from their home market but the two countries would be losing tax revenue.

Subject: RE: BS: Is EBay going mad?
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 21 Oct 19 - 11:35 AM

As far as individuals are concerned, you can either afford something or you can't...

Some folks respond with "Tough.. It don't bother me, because I can earn a lot more than you..."

Others with "Hmmm.. let's see what we can do to make prices fairer for all UK citizens..."

Subject: RE: BS: Is EBay going mad?
From: Nick
Date: 22 Oct 19 - 11:35 AM

One of the best transactions on ebay was an Ibanez 7 string guitar that I helped my son transact (£x00 of HIS money). Couldn't have been more straightforward. Lovely guy and fantastic musician from Glasgow. Beautifully packaged etc

One of the worst was a fake memory stick. I got the money back.

Middling was the spider capo I bought recently. Full refund and the seller was happy that I kept it. Gave him a good rating for dealing with it well and since then has changed his advertising.

But I think I have only every bought 70 something things on ebay

Subject: RE: BS: Is EBay going mad?
From: Mr Red
Date: 22 Oct 19 - 02:27 PM

Import duty threshold is not £15 as stated above, but £135.

Then how come the import (as declared) cost for an £18 delivery was more than 20%? with costs on top of that for Royal Mail to collect the amount. Total excess more than £8. Go figure.

If you haven't experienced it you could always put it to the test. You will be surprised.

And the £15 is a recently lowered threshold from £35. Hence the Wish.com wheeze of declaring a worth below the threshold on the declaration form.

And after Brexshit this will include many more countries of origin.

FWIW Royal Mail have offices in China to facilitate postage therefrom.